Winter burn recovery??

I had posted photos of these J. chinensis 'Blue Point' a few weeks ago showing the extensive winter damage. I now have to decide if I should pull them and return to retailer for a replacement (I have to May 11). These five junipers were a significant investment made at the behest of my spouse who wanted a screen to block the winter light pollution coming from the not-so-close neighbor. These updated photos were taken this past weekend, and I'm hoping there's reason for optimism. Would you expect these to make a full recovery? Also, do they tend to become more resistant to this type of damage as they get older/larger?

Dead. Any areas of brown will not come back. Sorry Pseudo, no optimism from me. I'd yank them and take them back to the retailer. Even if I knew for a fact that they would eventually grow back nice, I'd still yank them and take them back because you'll be (IMO) wasting X amount of years waiting for them to recover. Not to mention if, 5 years from now, they have recovered and then get nailed with another winter like this past. I'd take them back and get something that will actually be able to handle a zone 4 winter. I know that these are 'hardy' to zone 4 but obviously something went amiss here.

I agree with sequoia

This is one of those cases where it would be interesting to leave them in the ground and chart their recovery, if it would happen at all. As you can see, the interior foliage is green, at least some of it. If it was just one tree I'd be more inclined to leave it be and see what happens, but five of them makes it difficult to be patient. I'll take your advice and return them.

Last night I was reading the venerable Dr. Leon Snyder in his book TREES & SHRUBS FOR NORTHERN GARDENS, and he had this to say about J. chinensis: "Winter burn can be a variable problem determined by the susceptability of the cultrivar and its planting location." I guess I managed to find a cultivar that was highly susceptible. It's back to the drawing board...

Good luck Pseudo :)

Thanks. I'm looking for a full sun evergreen screen that doesn't burn, deer resistant, and can handle dry soil. Maybe one of the upright pines like P. nigra 'Arnold's Sentinel'? Any other suggestions?

Deer resistant isn't a phrase I'm required to have knowledge of where I live so I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much help on that one.

Lucky you; unlucky yew. They tend to leave pines, junipers, hemlock, and spruce alone, but feast on arborvitae and yews. Firs are sometimes targeted, but not nearly as much as arbs and yews. I've got a few Abies concolor and koreana, none of which have been touched by deer -- yet. Bucks love to rub against A. fraseri. Maybe it's the soft needles...

Ugh...I would hate to have to deal with all that. I guess that's the price you pay for having a bunch of land in the middle of nowhere. I live in a development on a cul-de-sac in suburbia. Only rabbits and squirrels to worry about and they are way more manageable.

Jack Pine.

Mmm, Jack Pine, now that would be thinking outside the box...way, way outside the box. I'm a fan, but looking for something a bit more dense. Oh, I'll just say it: and ornamental! The area is fairly narrow, with mature oaks to the north, and septic mound to the south, with more mature oaks (and Amur Honeysuckle) south of the mound. It is open to the west, which means this area gets plenty of afternoon sun. I thought I had the perfect plant in J. chinensis 'Blue Point', but turns out I was wrong. My next choice has to be something that will perform and stay put.

Sometimes the school of hard knocks can be brutal (by that I mean really sucks). However, the drawing board is a great place to be!

I don't know that your particular variety is not suited for our zone. I have 20 year old evergreen shrubs that look like yours. From what I've heard, it's just that our winter was so hard! In my case, it was suggested I fertilize, water, and baby the plants for the next few years. If you have the chance to return them, I would. It will take me years and good luck to bring back my foundation plants.

I find Arbor Vitae to be consistently hardy as a windbreak. Occasional windburn damage, but nothing that can't just be pruned out. There is a tall narrow juniper that has also done well as a garden accent but I forget the name of it.

Pseudo, if there's comfort in numbers, I have similar issues here.
My casualties are plants you probably wouldn't have dreamed of planting in your zone.
But I think it's fair to say that zone pushers across all zones felt the effect of last winter.
I have enjoyed experimenting with many plants of questionable hardiness.
And I got away with it for 10-15 years before last winter's reckoning.
Both broadleaf evergreens and conifers suffered - some look pretty pitiful.
But my marginally hardy deciduous plants just look like bare woody carcasses presently.
They are either going to have to grow back from roots or are dead outright. Not sure yet.
#1 is Buxus sempervirens Elegantissima. Not looking very elegant today.
#2 is Aucuba japonica Rozannie. The main shrub is dead, but a rim of suckers are alive.
#3 is Cryptomeria japonica Sekkan-sugi. A pretty big tree - maybe 15-20ft tall.
#4 is Berberis x stenophylla. A pretty barberry - narrow toothed reddish shiny leaves.
Died to the ground - today I see some growth emerging from lowest branches.
#5 is Ilex Sky Pencil. It's getting shaded out, as you can see.
I presume the shade weakens the plant; maybe contributed to it's winter injury?

#1 is a columnar yew, Taxus cuspidata Columnaris.
#2 is another buxus, B sempervirens Graham Blandy
#3 is a huge Firmiana simplex, one of my favorite trees. Bold textured leaves.
As far as I can tell, completely dead.
#4 is one of my many crepe myrtles, maybe 15ft tall?
Just showing some sprouts from the roots.
When I started gardening many years ago, we treated them as die-back shrubs.
I'd cut them to the ground every spring.
But with global warming, I was able to enjoy their beautiful bark, too.
I haven't cut anything down yet, hoping to see some growth on the branches,
but I'm increasingly losing hope.
#5 is Ilex Rock Garden. I have several and all severely injured.
This one is showing the best new growth. I suspect they'll recover OK.
But they'll look unsightly for a while.
I lost several other oddities euscaphis, euptelea, evodia, emmenopterys ...
They are all rare enough that their true hardiness wasn't known.
Well, I think we have a better idea now. All 10ft or taller, so were pretty established trees.
Sigh... the trials and tribulations of a zone pusher...

Ahh. You're right though, zone pushing is not for the weak of heart, it takes some bullocks.

I am not a real zone pusher myself. I get a few things that are labeled as zone 6 but other than that, I try to look for things that are zone 5 at least. That's too bad about your Sekkan Sugi Cryptomeria Wee. We have two of them and each winter the one that is more exposed gets a little burnt out. Luckily, this was the first winter I used Wiltpruf on it and it came through with only a burnt out leader, which is because I didn't use a ladder to spray it. The other one is on the south east corner of the house and I left it untreated. That one had a burnt out leader too but generally fared well. I'm definitely going to Wiltpruf the one each winter though. It's pretty expensive but worth it to protect. I sprayed ours only once at the end of December after the Christmas lights come off it.

Thank you for sharing that. My philosopy on zone pusing has evolved over the past few years, but especially over the past two. There are plenty of wonderful plants that are fully hardy into z4, but also satisfy my need to experiment with something a bit rare or unusual. The challenge is to be patient and do my homework. Stewartia pseudocamellia is a perfect example. I'll keep pushin', but I'm trying to be a bit smarter on plant selection. Nothing is more satisfying than looking at an arrangement of plants that look perfectly content.

Weerobin, your garden looks absolutely lush -- almost tropical. Removing a plant or two that has perished will hardly be noticed in such a full, lush setting. How long have you been there?

Hmm... lush isn't the word I usually use. Jungle is more appropriate.
We've been here about 20yrs. When I was younger & more ambitious,
I cleared the entire property of alien invasive shrubs/vines, etc.
Unfortunately, I'm not as vigilant or energetic as I once was.
Jungle always wins.
Unfortunately my fallen euscaphis japonica will be happily replaced by a lonicera maackii or another of his equally pugnacious buddies.

So these pictures may not look very exciting.
But I'm pretty stoked about them.
Essentially every loss from the last winter has rebounded in some way.
#1. My 15ft tall lagerstroemias are just growing from the root.
Sadly, the beautiful bark developed over the past 15yrs will be lost.
#2. Euscaphis japonica is sprouting from the stem near the ground.
#3. Idesia polycarpa also sprouting from roots.
#4. Emmenopterys henyri is sprouting from the stem near ground.
#5. Euptelea pleiosperma is also sprouting from the ground.
I had thought I had lost most of them due to the hard winter.
But looks like most still have some fight in them.

A few more resurrections from the polar vortex:
#1&2 is firmiana simplex. My trees were 20ft tall & robust until the vortex.
No sign of life this spring until the last week or two. I'm really relieved.
#3 is evodia hupehensis. Another which looked completely dead until seeing new shoots from the root last week.
#4 is acer palmatum Shishigashira. Seemed dead, but now has growth along the stems.
Doesn't look healthy - I not confident of his survival.
Unsure if these guys will recover sufficiently to redevelop nice mature tree form - we'll see.
At least they're not completely dead. I'll give them a chance to see what they can do.

Way to go Wee, so glad you at least have some new growth. a new start but not lost. On the brighter side of the spectrum, you may have acquired something few will ever have (unless they live in the same zone or had the guts to hard prune).

Acer palmatum Shishigashira is totally diseased with a highly contagious form of robintitus and will not make it...send her to me and I'll hospice her for ya.

good to see some growth!

Mipii, I don't know what's up w/ Shigishashira.
Do you know the story?
I have dozens of acer palmatums and have lost only a few of them.
But the losses of Shigishashira seem extraordinary.
I've had 3-4 mature plants which have succumbed for no obvious reason.
I do believe they must be prone to some sort of affliction.
I had a really beautiful Shishigashira right outside our front door,
which reflects how much I admire the tree, but alas he succumbed this year.
I don't think I'll buy another.

Wee, have you investigated the possibilities of fungus, verticillium or insect damage? Check the root area for ants, they like to tunnel around plant roots and kill them. Is your soil acidic enough? Mobot's showing some susceptibility; http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c339
They say...
"No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to stem canker and leaf spots. Verticillium wilt may also occur. Watch for borers, scale, mites and aphids. Good resistance to leaf scorch. Foliage tends to leaf out early in spring and is subject to damage from late spring frosts."

You're such a trooper Wee. I sure feel for you though, I don't know how I'd take loosing a JM. I still mourn my MIL having a deck built over hers 3 years ago...argh!

Wow, Weerobin, that's wonderful about your plants. I can only think with their extensive root systems that they will grow much quicker than "newborns."